Singer Nina Matviyenko Publishes Her Book of Memoirs

Five years ago, the singer conceived the idea of writing a book of memoirs, but could not get around to it due to various reasons and circumstances. This time Nina Matviyenko did make her dream come true, owing to the encouragement and material assistance of the Ivan Honchar Museum Ukrainian Folk Cultural Center, Kyiv Mayor’s Office, and the firm Obolon.

“The book’s title, I’ll Plow a Wide Field, is symbolic. It’s a line from a folk song on my repertoire. I’ve never parted with the folk heritage. I get the energy and inspiration from folk songs. The book is virtually divided into two parts,” says Nina Matviyenko. “I tell about numerous concert tours in Ukraine and abroad. I have performed on four continents. I recall various concerts, how some or other songs were added to the repertoire, meetings with authors, interesting people. There were a number of exciting occurrences as I worked with the Veriovka Folk Choir. I recall how the Zoloti Kliuchi [Golden Springs] Trio came to be, how I developed a fancy for chamber music. It’s the first time I’ve published my diaries, notes and letters.

“The second part of the book consists of music and lyrics from my repertoire. For example, the chapter titled The Song Calendar of Ukraine includes spring and winter carols. I have collected ritual and historical songs performed in various regions of Ukraine, and there are works by several Ukrainian composers.”